How Start-Ups are Helping Authors Sell Their Novels Writers are now turning to technology to reach out to their readers
By Sanchita Dash •
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
An idea in the middle of the night and the writer is up, rushing to that one corner where thoughts flow perfectly. The heavy typewriter is brought out immediately with utmost ease, the candle burns over his/her head and it begins – the midnight saga. But the next morning, with a gush of the wind or a sudden spill from an open bottle and a whole night's efforts are gone. These were the circumstances under which great novels were written.
Cut to the 21st century, and novellas written with the help of apps are the new thing. Entrepreneurs are exploring the creative side of all and start-ups these days are helping authors finish their masterpiece with the help of technology.
Entrepreneur India takes a look at how start-ups are helping authors.
Accelerating authors
If you thought accelerators were just for start-ups, there's news for you. Chennai-based Notion Press has brought about a first-of-its-kind accelerator program for authors. Once a part of the program, authors will be enrolled into a three-month program where they will be able to build and design a brand for their book. Calling their book a startup, Notion Press also helps in the promotion and sales of the book.
Predicting your success
Imagine if you finish writing a book and before investing in the promotion and sales of the book, you can know how your book will be received. Now, with the help of Machine Learning, one can do that. Austin-based startup Author.me has brought about a product called Storyfit which predicts how readers will essentially like the book. This helps them work on the book and its branding as well. While not in India yet, this shows how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning can turn things around for an author and save them for a loss of money.
Sticking to your roots
While for English language writers there are many takers, regional writers often fail to find a publisher's notice. This means that scores of novels find their way into a dustbin because a publishing house didn't recognise their talent. Understanding the problems of these authors and providing them a platform are start-ups. Focusing on short fiction, Hyderabad-based start-up Kahaniya helps regional writers publish their work. This helps these writers get a chance to directly establish contact with their readers, also giving them recognition. Kahaniya currently accommodates 10 regional languages (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Odiya and Punjabi).
Publish from your Phone!
Reducing the efforts that go into the whole publishing process and at the same time bringing in convenience, the concept of mobile-first publishing has become a rage. For readers who are constantly on their phone and have a shorter time span to give to books, start-ups like Juggernaut Books are giving authors the chance to reach their reader without the hassle of going to a publishing house. For nominal prices, the app helps authors publish short stories and to readers, it gives them an easy access to library of books but on their phone.
